Premiership-leading jockey Brenton Avdulla knows Hartnell will be the best horse he has ridden when he jumps aboard the superstar in Saturday's Chipping Norton Stakes – but he knows there is definitely one galloper that is even better in the group 1 at Randwick.

Winx will be looking for her 15th win in succession and a second Chipping Norton Stakes on Saturday but Avdulla was delighted to get the job on the horse that is considered the only realistic chance of testing her.

"Usually I'm on one of [Chris] Waller's stayers that are out the back and can't keep up. They are just getting further and further away from me," Avdulla said. "I will be a bit closer to her this time, how close I don't know, but I will be in the action.

"Hartnell is obviously the second-best middle-distance horse in the country behind Winx. He is a superstar in his own right. He is a dual group 1 winner.

"But he hasn't beaten her in five meetings and ran three seconds. If it wasn't for her, he would have another couple of group 1s. He is a serious horse. It is an honour to be trusted with the ride on him by Godolphin.

"I will be riding him to his best advantage, not trying to just beat her. If we do that, he will be finding the line. I probably need to hope she has a bad day, which she has not had for a long time."

Avdulla has come close to beating Winx during her winning streak, when he thought he had the Doncaster won on Happy Clapper last year.

"I thought I was home until I saw her flash out the pack at the furlong and knew I was in trouble," Avdulla said. "We have seen it plenty of times. There is so much to like about her.

"I just like the way she jumps, she relaxes, she drops her head and when [Hugh] Bowman gives her a shake she goes into overdrive.

"She has that sustained speed for as long as he wants, it seems. She is just a superstar."

Avdulla has been at the top of his game for a number of seasons but the rewards are starting to come from his connections with Godolphin and the other major stables. When James Doyle broke a wrist in a fall, Avdulla was John O'Shea's first call for Hartnell.

"I'm in a good spot with everything I do at the moment. I'm getting good support from Godolphin, plenty of support from Waller, getting plenty of support from Joe Pride," he said.

"I'm not really tied to one stable but if someone goes by the wayside, I'm there. I'm just fortunate that someone's bad luck can be my good luck.

"It was good to see that Doyle got out of [that fall] all right because it looked a lot worse. But he does miss some crucial rides and I was lucky enough that Godolphin had the faith in me to trust with this ride.

"I looking forward to getting a feel of Hartnell and seeing what he can do."

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